3. Drinking coffeeIf you’re not the kind of person who downs a cup right when you wake up, you probably grab it as soon as you get into the office.

But research suggests that the best time to drink coffee is after 9:30 a.m. That’s because the stress hormone cortisol, which regulates energy, generally peaks between 8 and 9 a.m. When you drink coffee during that time, the body starts producing less cortisol and depends more on caffeine.

“Checking email can become one of those tasks that make it feel like you are accomplishing things, wherein the danger is you are not attending to priority-action items, and you’re letting others set your agenda,” Kerr told Business Insider.

5. Launching into your work without a tentative schedule in mindBefore you buckle down, Taylor suggests making sure you have an idea of where the day is headed — that includes writing down your top priorities and must-dos for the day and reviewing your calendar.

Check to see what events you may have planned and whether you need to prepare for any calls or conferences. Otherwise, you could be caught off guard when you get a 10-minute reminder for a team meeting and you’re smack in the middle of writing a project proposal.

6. Doing the easiest tasks firstResearch suggests that your energy and willpower tend to flag as the day goes on. That’s why it’s crucial to get the important stuff out of the way as soon as possible.

Some people call this strategy “eating the frog,” based on a quote from Mark Twain: “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

7. MultitaskingBecause you have so much energy in the morning, you might feel as though you can do a million different things at once.

But research suggests that multitasking can hurt your performance on the primary task, and that it’s better to do one thing at a time. If you start your workday by juggling multiple priorities, you could set yourself back for the rest of the day.

Instead, set a positive tone by focusing on a single task for the first 10 minutes.

8. Dwelling on negative thoughtsMaybe you nearly got knocked over by a pushy passenger on your commute. Or perhaps you had a fight with your partner the night before.

Don’t let those experiences distract you from the tasks that need to get done today.

Taylor suggests you compartmentalize by putting those negative thoughts “in a separate ‘box’ as you start your week.” If necessary, you can revisit them later.